Lieu Vadish
A race of winged humanoid scavengers, the Lieu Vadish inhabit a world in the far Outward and Downspin region of the Delta Sector. Arrogant and condescending, they nonetheless manage to attract visitors simply because of the fact that they sell Delightful Fungus Chews, a trade good that starts off the Downspin Trade Route. Excessively vain, appearance is all-important to them, and they wear gaudy and ornate jewelry/clothing combinations, complete with garish pieces of finery that have, to date, failed to win them much respect among the Sector’s trade merchants. Basic Characteristics *''Type'': Humanoid *''Durability'': 4 *''Learning Rate'': 4 *''Science: Poor *Navigation: Average *Tactical: Average *Engineering: Poor *Communication: Average *Medicine: Average *''Genders: 2 *''Life Stages'': Adolescent at 6 years. Adult at 13 years. Middle Age at 26 years. Old Age at 43 years. Venerable Age at 55 years. *''Lifespan'': 58 + 6d5 years. *''Height'': 2.0 meters; 1.4 + (1d5 * 0.2) meters. *''Mass'': 30 kilograms; 22.5 + ((1d5 + 1d5 from height) * 1.5) kilograms. *''Niche/Symmetry'': Carnivorous Bilateral Consumer *''Speed/Transit'': Flyer, 16 m/rd (10 kph); Bipedal 10 m/rd (6 kph) *''Volume'': 0.03 m^3 *''HD'': 50/50/50 *''HP'': 40 *''Unarmed Damage'': 2 HP *''STV'': 30 MU (1,000 MU/m^3) Physical Description Despite being humanoid and inhabiting a world with Arth-like gravity, the Lieu Vadish have two wings and are capable of flight under their own power. This is partly because they, despite appearing roughly the same shape and size as Humans, are in actuality much lighter. Their bones are hollow, like those of birds, and their body weight is low compared to Humans, topping out at just over 30 kg; over the eons, their skeletons have also lost unnecessary bones to further conserve weight. Also, their chest muscles are far stronger than those of humans, as they must power their large wings. Still, sustained flight is difficult for them; unless gliding, they can only stay in the air a few moments before tiring and being forced to land. Fortunately, their wings are designed for soaring, being broad and having a larger lift surface than those of comparable species of birds. While these types of wings typically allow for a short takeoff, the lack of aerodynamics in the rest of the Lieu Vadish body cancels out any potential advantage this wing shape may offer in that respect, and they require quite a running start to get airborne. The Lieu Vadish are scavengers, and as such, they have developed a great deal of resistance to carrion-borne pathogens, and can shrug off the dangerous bacteria and toxins associated with rotting flesh. They have a keen sense of smell, and can sniff out carcasses over many kilometers. Earlier in their development, they would simply detect potential food sources in this way. Once a kill was located, they would converge on it, drive off any predators, dress the meat, divide it up, and wing it back to their settlements to be consumed. Now, however, they often use trained, domesticated animals to bring down their prey for them, providing them with a more reliable source of meat. These ‘hunts’ are monitored from above; the Vadish wait for them to make a kill, then swoop down and take it once the prey animal is definitely dead. On a personal level, they view killing as extremely distasteful, something to be undertaken only as the last possible course of action. As a result, any occupation that involves the direct killing of animals (such as butchering and husbandry, for example) represent the very lowest caste in their society. Killing as part of warfare, however, is viewed very differently; warriors actually rank fairly high in the caste system. Aside from being winged, the Lieu Vadish are largely humanoid, although as mentioned above, very scrawny. Their bodies are completely covered in a downy fur, making them able to naturally tolerate fairly cold climates. Their heads, however, are completely bald, so as to help with thermoregulation. Males are typically larger than females. Lieu Vadish reproduce sexually, pairing up anywhere from thirteen to nineteen years of age. Young children (age 1-5) are typically cared for by the mother, but upon reaching adolescence, they are looked after by the parent of the same sex, who is responsible for teaching them the ins and outs of fashion, and passing on the family trade. It should be noted, however, that separation is very common with this species, as both partners always keep a look out for a better-dressed mate, and seem not to form deep emotional attachments. This results in children being placed on a lower priority, which often ends very badly for them, especially if the couple splits up while the children are very young. This is one of the biggest reasons for the sparseness of the Lieu Vadish population. Space Units Not Applicable: Species is Non-Starfaring. Ground Units This gives a general listing of the vehicles available to the given race. Engaging the ground units of a species in combat will have the same general effect on the player's relations with the species as engaging their units in space. The mineral composition of ground units will be the same as that listed for space units, though the amounts will be somewhat lessened. Indication of "turrets" for a ground unit allow the unit to fire a weapon in any direction; otherwise, the unit must face their target before they may attack another unit. Ground units always include a very generic description of how the unit will appear. Ground Units in general use the same ratings as space units, but have a few additional properties as outlined below: * Still need a response on energy. **''Melee'': An attack that can only be delivered when that object's collision area is touching the collision area of its target. **''Flat'': The speed/efficiency the unit travels on flat land. **''Mount'': The speed/efficiency the unit travels on steep mountains. This will likely be determined by rapid changes in planetary elevation, though the exact amount of elevation change necessary has not yet been determined. **''Liquid'' The speed/efficiency the unit travels on a liquid surface (possibly also including ice and cooling lava.) No Data Available at this time. Territory The Lieu Vadish are a non-starfaring race. They can only be found on their home planet of Lieuv, located at δ1x24, p5. This location is well outside the territory of any of the extant starfaring races and if it weren't for the export of Delightful Fungus Chews (a fact that places the Lieu Vadish world at the beginning of the Downspin Trade Route) and Jeweled Xsiao Xingtay (for which there is a small market on Arth), the world would only be useful for cheap standard trade goods. As previously mentioned, the Lieu Vadish have a later Stone Age society. In addition to being skilled potters, they have developed some religions, masonry and animal husbandry techniques. Some have even become adept at wrangling and domesticating the local Humanoid Hopper population for use as ground transport when the need arises. While they hardly ever eat them themselves (except in dire straits), some Lieu Vadish are known to keep crops of Sticky Fruit. The Fruit, when combined with the mycelium from a Running Fungus and certain parts from Green Blob, is cooked to become Delightful Fungus Chews. The Lieu Vadish world is sparsely populated, with most of the cities centered around the large equatorial freshwater lake as well as the shoreline of the southern ocean near the planet's southern tropical zone. *'Patrol': **''Alpha Sector'': None **''Delta Sector'': None **''Beta Sector'': None *'Space': **''Alpha Sector'': No Sphere of Influence **''Delta Sector'': No Sphere of Influence **''Beta Sector'': No Sphere of Influence *'Star': **''Alpha Sector'': None **''Delta Sector'': None **''Beta Sector'': None *'Worlds': **''Alpha Sector'': None **''Delta Sector'': Lieuv (1x24, p5) **''Beta Sector'': None Status The Lieu Vadish sneer at other races, with their drab, predictable clothing and the clumsy, clunking starships they require to achieve flight. Other races, in turn, deeply dislike the Vadish, and visit their world as little as possible, unless they want to purchase Delightful Fungus Chews or (more rarely) stock up on cheap standard trade items. Of all the star-faring races, the Humna Humna have the closest relationship with them, though the Master Trade Merchants also do not associate with them more than they have to. The same is true for the Arthians, even though the Vadish have found a market for Xingtays in Arth's aristocracy. *'Ally': **''Initial'': None **''Final'': None *'Enemy': **''Initial'': None **''Final'': None Economy *'Economic Status Levels': **''Lieuv'': Depressed *'Specialty Trade Goods Purchased': **None *'Specialty Trade Goods Sold': **Delightful Fungus Chews (Lieuv; δ1x24, p5) **Jeweled Xsiao Xingtay (Lieuv; δ1x24, p5) Supplemental Information The Lieu Vadish are known for their supreme arrogance and barely concealed disdain for all other races. Their condescending attitude stems in large part from their natural ability to fly. They believe this sets them apart from other races, aside from the other two natural fliers, the Mbe and Dershetche, whom the Vadish have heard of but seldom or never see, respectably; however, even in those two cases, the Vadish view them only slightly better, for esoteric reasons they have difficulty explaining when pressed on the subject. Even though many other sentients have developed the technology to achieve powered flight, the Vadish view this as a poor substitute. As a race, they are also extremely overconfident; their leaders often make rash, impetuous decisions and stick by them in the face of unassailable proof of their failure; also, on flashes of ‘insight’, their merchants often offer sales on items that no one wants, and jack up the prices on items that might actually sell. Both of these factors contribute to their depressed economy. Appearance is the single-most important consideration to the Lieu Vadish; many of their social rules exclusively govern the way in which they dress. Nothing brings swifter retribution (whether formal or informal) on an individual than breaking some rule of fashion. These rules are continuously evolving as their fashion changes from season to season, and high society individuals must spend a large amount of time keeping up with them, lest their prestige slip. Despite not knowing (or, in most cases, caring) what these rules are, alien visitors are often mercilessly ridiculed for their lack of fashion sense, with the most common pejorative hurled at them being “BOR-ing!” Amongst themselves, individual Vadish are still exceptionally haughty, and speak to individuals of lower social standing only when the situation requires it. Although they are still classified as stone-aged, their society is quite developed, being organized into castes, with the higher castes adorning themselves in ever more elaborate fashion. Merchants, unsurprisingly, represent one of the lower castes, which is why they dress rather plainly in grayish robes with little ornamentation. Technologically, the Lieu Vadish are late Stone Age, and are capable of knapping flint and heating it to increase its strength. This process provides them with their tools and weapons. For containers, they either use worked animal skin or clay pottery, which is not simple in design, but rather extremely elaborate and well-formed, with jewels even worked in sometimes. One of their Specialty Trade Goods, the Jeweled Xsiao Xingtay, is an intricate chalice, with glazed clay stem and fluting but a basin shaped from obsidian, a substance common to their world. As would be expected from this race, the Lieu Vadish have elaborately decorated the vessel, working precious jewels into the stem and attaching their own flight feathers as accessories (and these are the bare minimum; some Xingtays are so decorated that the underlying shape is almost completely obscured). Each Lieu Vadish family owns exactly one of these chalices; how luxuriously it is decorated is a quick indicator as to how high a family's social status is. These glorified cups, however, are so overly stylized so as to be almost impractical as a drinking vessel, a fact that keeps all most traders from ever buying them (and if they are 'tainted' by alien hands, the Vadish will not repurchase them). Given the incredibly high esteem in which the Vadish hold their feathers (as they are the most elemental requirement of their flight), and the care in which they have adorned the Xingtay, it is endlessly puzzling to them that the market on them is so restricted. Motivation for the Lieu Vadish is actually something of a contradiction. The self-absorbed race might say they desire a great many things: A stronger economy, more buyers for their Xingtays, respect from alien races, and a color of robe that really sets off their wings. However, their natural vanity and pride so often stand in the way of these things that they have virtually no hope of achieving them, given their current cultural attitude. Therefore, the only desire the Vadish have that they show any motivation of achieving is to stay on the cutting edge of fashion and style. To that end, they’ll pursue any alien good that they might be able to work into their designs, thus staying ahead of the curve for another season. Importance The Lieu Vadish serve no purpose within the game aside from being a trading partner; they are thus a potential revenue source for the player. Communication Text As a non-starfaring race, the Lieu Vadish had no comm text in SF2 (aside from their greeting message in trade), and will likewise have no comm text in SF3. All text for this species will be handled by the Trading and Commerce Module. ---- NEXT: Mbe PREVIOUS: Draffa Bastii TOP ----